Decorative Cork Board for the Home Office

The picture frame section at thrift stores is full of potential treasures. Unique art to decorate your home, picture frames to upcycle or repurpose, and yes, the occasional corkboard. Since I am a notorious list-maker and note-keeper, I decided to snag one from Habitat ReStore for my desk. But, of course, I had plans on transforming it into a decorative corkboard that was just as pretty as it was functional.

And while I still love it, I wanted to go in a slightly different direction with this existing cork board. Let’s face it, beige-on-beige is a terrible look, even on office supplies.

So, a little freshening up was in order and I wanted to share with you how easy it was to do!

This post contains affiliate links for your crafting convenience. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This project is also sponsored by the Charlotte Region ReStore(s). All blue, bold, and underlined text is a clickable link, either to a product or to a related post.

Painting a Cork Board for a Fresh New Look

I see plain cork boards at thrift stores from time to time, and I’ve wanted to give one a makeover for a while! But they are SO sterile-looking and uninspiring. It’s almost criminal how simple this project was. But it packs SUCH a punch.

Anyway… I planned on painting the actual frame around the cork. That sea of beige-on-beige needed a pop of color!

First, I attached long strips of wide painter’s tape directly to the cork, using a utility knife to cut clean lines at the corners. Then, I used a butter knife from my kitchen to gently tuck the outer edges of the tape underneath the wooden frame.

Next, I gave the wooden frame two coats of a pretty spearmint green. Even though I had the tape in place, I was still careful along the inside edge. I was so happy to reveal clean, paint-free cork when I removed the tape once the paint had dried.

Next, it was time for some stenciling! Even though I’d never stenciled on cork before, I had high hopes that it would turn out well. For this project, I selected a larger mandala stencil and some smaller, similar stencils.

I didn’t do anything special while stenciling, just my normal protocol: minimal paint that I mostly wiped off and up-and-down stippling.

And it worked like a charm- I was thrilled with how the stenciled mandala looked on the cork.

Once I was done with those, I decided on a little more stenciling before my decorative cork board was done.

Decorative Cork Board for the Home Office

When all was said and done and I was happy with the stenciling, this is how my thrifted cork board looked.

I just love how it turned out, with the splashy colors that give it life without taking away any of the basic function.

The paint colors I chose for my decorative cork board were an especially fun combo, weren’t they? I wanted bold and bright…flashy but not clash-y.

And if you haven’t stenciled on cork before, you need to try it. It’s an AMAZING surface to work with- so much easier and more forgiving than something smooth or painted.

Did you notice my coordinated desk set? I simply grabbed some tin cans from my recycling bin and painted them in the same colors as the cork board! And if you love crafting with tin cans, then you’ll enjoy this collection of tin can crafts for more inspo.

I hope you enjoyed this super simple, but very effective upcycling idea for a decorative cork board! It really couldn’t be more simply, but makes such a difference with very little effort.

You may recall that I’ve already created a framed cork board in the past. But that started out as a picture frame and a couple of cork tiles.

Which means both techniques work brilliantly on cork: painting AND stenciling!

Interested in another type of bulletin board to use at home? Then this upcycling idea for a magnetic memo board might be just what you’ve been looking for.

Craft on!

S

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